| Speed training drills are one of the absolute most | | | | the NHL skills competition and you'll notice their |
| important things that hockey players can focus on. | | | | technique. They don't take a lot of fast, choppy strides |
| Speed, along with power and agility, is one of the | | | | to try and get down the ice as quickly as possible. |
| cornerstones of what makes a great hockey player, | | | | Instead, they take two or three very quick powerful |
| yet so many players simply ignore speed specific | | | | strides, get up to top speed almost immediately, and |
| training. In this article we'll look at exactly what you can | | | | then use long smooth strides to maintain that speed. |
| do to train yourself to be faster and more explosive | | | | The key to this is "first stride speed" or "first stride |
| on the ice. | | | | acceleration". |
| On-Ice Speed Training | | | | Off-Ice Speed Training |
| On ice training is a great place to train for speed using | | | | On-ice speed training is important, but the fact of the |
| certain drills to help maximize speed and acceleration. | | | | matter is, if you want to be able to skate your fastest, |
| When doing your on ice speed training remember, that | | | | you absolutely need to focus on your hockey fitness. |
| form and technique are the two places to focus on. | | | | The gym is where the fastest players are made, and |
| Small changes in your form can have huge impacts on | | | | if you want to skate faster and dominate the |
| your overall speed, which is why power skating is so | | | | competition, you absolutely need to be heading to the |
| important. | | | | gym and doing exercises designed specifically to |
| Likewise, technique is huge. Watch the top skaters in | | | | make you a faster, better hockey player. |